Bi-partisan call for NSW to ditch provoke defence

New South Wales Opposition Leader John Robertson says he is willing to work with Premier Barry O'Farrell to abolish the legal defence of provocation.

Mr Robertson is the latest to voice his concern about a case last week where a man who slit his wife's throat eight times in Sydney was found guilty of manslaughter rather than murder.

Chamanjot Singh, 24, was given a minimum six-year sentence for killing Manpreet Kaur with a box cutter in their Westmead home in 2009.

The jury accepted his claim that he was provoked by his 29-year-old wife.

The court was told Singh thought his wife was being unfaithful and that he had financial problems and feared being deported to India.

The Domestic Violence Coalition has called for NSW to join other states to abolition the defence of provocation.

Mr Robertson says he will be pursuing the matter this week.

"It's a very worrying thing that's occurred. I've actually asked the shadow attorney-general to have a look at this and see what we might do," the Opposition Leader said.

"I'm more than happy to work with the O'Farrell Government to find a solution on this. I think it's absolutely important we put politics aside and actually deal with this because that decision is very disturbing."

At least one Coalition MP has spoken in support of changing the law and the Greens have also indicated they would support such a move.